The group advanced to the next section of the dungeon, where a massive door barred their path. Ashan glanced at Rowan. "Break this door."
Rowan's face flushed with anger. "Why should I do that? Do I look like your servant? Can't the mighty mister open it with a single kick?"
Ashan narrowed his eyes."Did you come here to watch a free show? Where's your ticket? No ticket, no standing here, move along."
Rowan gripped his sword tightly, tempted to lash out, but instead, he stepped forward and stabbed the door repeatedly. It creaked open, and he gestured mockingly to the other side while looking at Ashan.
"Ladies first."
"Puff…" Ashan stifled his laughter. He turned to Sorin and mimicked Rowan's gesture in the air, copying it exaggeratedly.
"My lady, you need to listen to your brother. He surprisingly showed some manners. You should be proud of him."
Sorin bit her lip to suppress her amusement and stepped through. Ashan patted Rowan's shoulder. "Nice try, young man. It's a pity it didn't work out well."
Rowan's mana leaked out in waves of rage, but he held his tongue.
The two followed Sorin inside, stepping into a dim, circular hall swallowed by shadows. The air felt heavy, and the silence pressed down on them.
Sorin slowed her steps, her expression turning serious. "It's going to be a surrounded attack. Once we reach the center, monsters will come out from everywhere. We won't be able to escape."
Ashan let out a low hum, eyes scanning the darkness. "Hmm… is that so?" A faint smile crept onto his face. "Sounds exciting. Can you do anything to slow them down?"
Sorin nodded without hesitation. "I have a skill that can blind them for a few minutes."
Ashan glanced at her. "Any limitations?"
"It has a five-minute cooldown," she replied. "And it drains a lot of mana."
"That's fine." Ashan nodded, then turned to Rowan. "I heard you can form mana shields. True?"
Rowan crossed his arms. "Yeah… yeah. So what?"
"What's your limit?"
Rowan scratched his chin, thinking. "I can keep it up until my mana runs dry, or until something hits hard enough to break it."
"Perfect. Then you two stay here and protect yourselves. I'll go in alone."
Sorin's eyes widened slightly. "Alone?"
"When I give the signal," Ashan continued calmly, "Sorin, you cast your spell. Got it?"
Sorin hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright."
Then she positioned herself beside Rowan. He raised his shield, forming a shimmering barrier that enveloped them both, obscuring their vision from the outside.
'Oh... their visual self also got covered. That's good.'
Ashan strode to the center of the hall and delivered a high kick to the ground, sending sound waves rippling outward.
Suddenly, portals materialized everywhere. Black-skinned, snake-headed monsters slithered out, their lower bodies serpentine with two arms, eyes glowing yellow. They encircled Ashan, hissing menacingly.
"I hate snakes."
Ashan gripped his Gunbai tightly and leaped into the air. The monsters lunged at him.
Then he shouted at the siblings. "Sorin, now!"
Sorin gripped her wand with both hands and activated her skill. A shining white dot emerged from Rowan's barrier, positioning itself between the monsters and Ashan.
Ashan squeezed his eyes shut.
Wish...
The dot exploded in blinding light, illuminating the hall like the sun itself. In seconds, it faded.
"Hisss…"
The monsters shrieked in agony, their eyes sealed shut. Ashan reopened his eyes. 'Now it's my chance.'
He raised his right hand, forming an expanding Rasengan. It slammed into the piled-up snake monsters.
Boom...
The hall erupted in light, shaking Rowan's barrier from the shockwave.
"Suicidal bastard. So he was looking forward to something like this."
Ashan emerged from the dust cloud, standing amid another pool of blood. The monsters had retreated before the blast, leaving only a quarter dead. More swarmed from fresh portals.
'Tch... those portals are a pain in the ass. I need to close them first. There must be a source controlling them.'
Ashan activated his Sharingan, scanning the surroundings. Amid the horde, he spotted a humanoid snake wearing a necklace with a purple gem, trying to blend in. Their eyes met, and Ashan smirked.
"Found you."
Hisss... The monster glared and shrieked, rallying the others around it like a protective army.
"Haha... you're making it obvious. Get ready to die."
Ashan charged into the pile. As he neared, a massive green venom mist spewed from their mouths.
"Oh... is it venom? How cute."
Waving his Gunbai, Ashan unleashed a powerful wind wave that dispersed the mist.
In mid-air, he formed another Rasengan and targeted the leader.
Hiss... The summoning monster opened its mouth wide, shooting a torrent of acid.
But Ashan's Sharingan predicted it. With Limitless deflecting the liquid, he switched places with a nearby monster. The Rasengan struck the leader's back, hurling it against the wall. It rose, still standing.
"You're pretty strong compared to the others. Let's see if you can avoid this."
Ashan's Sharingan shifted to Mangekyou.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames engulfed the snake instantly.
"Hisss... keee…" It writhed in agony, futilely trying to extinguish them, before turning to ash.
Ashan dispatched the attacking snakes with Black Flash and approached the ashes, retrieving the purple necklace.
"So this is the source. Let's put an end to this."
He crushed the gem, releasing purple smoke. The portals vanished, and the remaining monsters panicked.
Ashan stretched and advanced on the snakes, his Sharingan glowing ominously in the dark. "Let's finish this. Shall we?"
…
He cleared the remaining monsters in minutes. Their corpses liquefied, revealing cores.
—----------------------------------------
You have killed 153 snake monsters and 1 alpha snake monster
Rewards - 1239 points
—----------------------------------------
"That's quite a gain. I should've killed more."
Rowan deactivated his barrier, the shimmering wall fading away. The siblings approached Ashan as he calmly collected the cores scattered on the ground.
"You really never wanted us from the beginning, huh…?" Rowan muttered with a crooked smile. "Our timing's always terrible."
Ashan didn't even look up. "You only realized that when you showed up near the end. That's not my problem."
Sorin watched him with clear curiosity, her eyes lingering on the scorched ground. "That black flame earlier… What was it? Magic?"
Ashan shrugged lightly. "Calling it magic doesn't really fit. Those flames came straight from hell."
"H-Hell?" Rowan blinked. "Are you serious? Then what, are you a demon that crawled out from there?"
Sorin stepped a little closer, studying him openly now. "Seeing what you can do, I have to ask. Mister, are you an S-ranker like us?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Ashan straightened up, tossing a core into his pouch. "I've never bothered checking my rank with a mana-detecting machine."
Rowan frowned. "So you're hiding your existence as an awakened superhuman? You know registration is mandatory."
"Something like that," Ashan replied casually. "But don't dig into it. Let's finish collecting these first."
He went back to work. Rowan let out a tired sigh and glanced at Sorin. "We really should've brought some raiders. Collecting cores is hellishly annoying."
Ashan looked over his shoulder with a teasing grin. "Isn't this easier than killing monsters? Guess a luxurious life turned a mighty S-ranker a little too comfortable. Watching you complain like a tired old man hurts my heart. Next time, bring a chair."
"Puff…" Sorin quickly turned away, covering her smile. She'd never seen anyone talk down to an S-ranker so openly.
Rowan's eye twitched. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you picking a fight with me?"
"A fight?" Ashan tilted his head. "I'm just stating facts. It's sad seeing how weak the younger generation has become."
Before Rowan could snap back, the ground suddenly shook.
Sorin dropped to one knee, pressing her palm to the earth and closing her eyes. "I feel a strong presence… What is this?"
Rowan's expression hardened. "The dungeon boss. Looks like it's impatient."
Ashan rested the Gunbai on his shoulder, a grin spreading across his face. "I was planning to rest for a bit, but it seems someone's desperate to die." He glanced toward the depths. "We'll collect the cores later. Let's go."